* This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting. [00:00:04] GOOD EVENING, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN. UH, IT IS, UH, FIVE O'CLOCK ON, UH, TUESDAY, JUNE THE 10TH, AND WE'LL BEGIN OUR SESSION. [A. Public Hearing - Fiscal Year 2026 Budget ] SO WE BEGIN WITH THE, UH, PUBLIC HEARING FOR THE, UH, UM, FOR THE, UH, BUDGET. MS. SCOTT. THANK CHAIR. UM, THIS IS A PRESENTATION THAT'S GONNA GO OVER A HIGH LEVEL VIEW OF THE BUDGET. SO THE PROPOSED TOTAL BUDGET FROM FISCAL YEAR 25, THE ADOPTED BUDGET WAS 97,350,000. AND THEN WE MADE SOME ADJUSTMENTS IN FISCAL YEAR 25. WE REMOVED THE CSA AND DSS FUNDS OUT OF THE GENERAL FUND AND PUT THEM INTO THEIR OWN FUND. AND THAT TOTAL TRANSFER WAS 3.7 MILLION. SO YOU HAVE AN ADJUSTED BUDGET OF 93 MILLION 6 47, AND THERE'S MANY TRANSFERS AND, UM, SUPPLEMENTS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. A TOTAL ADDITIONAL REVENUE OF FOUR 44,000. SO THE AMENDED BUDGET FOR 25 IS 94 MILLION, $91,924. THE PROPOSED BUDGET FOR FISCAL YEAR 26 IS $93,440,000, WHICH IS A REDUCTION OF $651,944. SO WHEN YOU SAY THAT THE PLUS ADDITIONAL REVENUES, ARE THESE UNEXPECTED THINGS THAT ARE COMING IN OR? YEAH, SO KIND OF LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT A COUPLE WEEKS AGO, WHEN WE DON'T BUDGET FOR GRANT MONEY THAT WE HAVEN'T BEEN APPROVED FOR AND WE HAVEN'T RECEIVED THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, WE DO APPLY FOR THOSE GRANTS. AND SO THAT WOULD INCREASE THE REVENUE BY THAT AMOUNT OF MONEY. OKAY. AND THEN WHEN WE GET THAT BIT, BECAUSE WHAT WE DO IS WE, WE WORK TO MAKE SURE THAT WE'VE, THAT, THAT THE, UH, THAT WE HAVE, UH, ENOUGH BUDGET TO COVER OUR EXPENSES. AND SO WE, INSTEAD OF, INSTEAD OF BEING LIKE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT, JUST INCREASE THE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT WE'VE GOT, WE, WE, WE TAKE A LOOK AT THE EXPENSES AND WE TRY AND, AND YOU KNOW, PUT THOSE INTO WHAT, UH, DR. DALEY CALLS THE BOX. AND SO WHEN WE GET THAT ADDITIONAL FUNDS, WHAT DO WE DO WITH THOSE? SO THERE'S A LONG LIST OF BUDGET SUPPLEMENTS AND TRANSFERS AND ADDITIONAL APPROPRIATIONS THROUGHOUT THE YEAR. SO THAT IS WHAT MAKES UP THAT ADDITIONAL 444,000. SO, SO THEN WHAT WE DO IS WE, WE PRIORITIZE AND THEN WE'VE GOT A CUT LIST AND WE SAY, OKAY, AT THIS POINT THESE DON'T GET FUNDED. AND THEN AS MONEY COMES IN, THEN WE CAN START TAKING A LOOK AT, OKAY, THIS WAS NEXT ON THE LIST. THIS WAS NEXT ON THE LIST. YES, SIR. MOST OF THAT MONEY IS STATE OR FEDERAL FUNDING. OKAY. SO WHEN THEY AWARD A $50,000 GRANT AS AN EXAMPLE, IT IS DESIGNATED BY THEM WHAT THE MONEY'S FOR. SO THEN IT, IT IS ALREADY EARMARKED AND WE, WE DO NOT HAVE A SAY IN THAT. CORRECT. OKAY. ALRIGHT. I, I'M ASKING THESE QUESTIONS JUST TO, JUST TO MAKE SURE THAT, THAT THERE'S A, A GENERAL UNDERSTANDING BECAUSE SOMETIMES I, I TEND TO FORGET. OKAY. SO MOST OF THE REVENUE IS MADE UP OF GENERAL PROPERTY TAXES, REAL ESTATE TAXES AND PERSONAL PROPERTY. OTHER LOCAL REVENUES INCLUDE FEES AND FINES THAT WE COLLECT. UM, AND THERE'S CHARGES FOR SURFACES AND THEN THERE'S FEDERAL AND STATE REVENUE AS WELL AS INTERGOVERNMENTAL REVENUE. UH, THAT WOULD BE TRANSFERS IN BETWEEN FUNDS. SO LIKE YOU SEE FROM THE PIE CHART, A MAJORITY OF THE FUNDS ARE MADE UP OF GENERAL PROPERTY TAXES. SO WHEN YOU SAY GENERAL PROP, THAT THAT'S REAL ESTATE AND PERSONAL PROPERTY? THAT'S RIGHT. OKAY. AND IT ALSO INCLUDES ANY, UM, DELINQUENT TAXES AND ANY FINES OR ADDITIONAL FEES THAT MIGHT BE ASSOCIATED WITH THE COLLECTION OF PROPERTY TAXES? I, THIS IS FOR THE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THE OPERATIONS FOR FISCAL YEAR 25, THERE WAS A TOTAL OF 28,650,000 [00:05:02] THAT IS APPROPRIATED AMONGST CATEGORIES. AND THAT'S THE TOTAL TRANSFER THAT THE COUNTY HAS CONTRIBUTED TO THE SCHOOLS. FOR FY 26, THAT TOTAL IS 29,400,000 LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO. THE ENERGY BOND, UH, IS PAID, WAS PAID FOR BY THE SCHOOL THIS FISCAL YEAR, IN FISCAL YEAR 25. AND THEN IN FISCAL YEAR 26, THE COUNTY IS GOING TO BE PICKING UP THAT BILL. SO THE TOTAL INCREASE FROM THE SCHOOLS FOR FISCAL YEAR 25 OF 28,650 IS THE ADDITIONAL 750 FOR HEALTH INSURANCE AND THE, UM, ADDITIONAL BOND ENERGY BOND PAYMENT. SO A TOTAL INCREASE OF $1.2 MILLION. SO WHAT DOES THAT MEAN? BECAUSE I'M SEEING OPERATIONS AND THEN THE ENERGY BOND AND THEN YOU SAY THE TOTAL, BUT THEN YOU COME DOWN HERE AND SAY AN INCREASE OF, OF, UH, IS THAT OVER, OVER THE, UH, FROM FY 25 TO FY 26? YES. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND SO THE COUNTY DEBT, AS YOU KNOW, WE MAKE ABOUT $11 MILLION PAYMENT TOWARDS ALL OF OUR, UH, DEBT SERVICE AND SPECIFICALLY A PORTION OF THAT DEBT SERVICE. THE TOTAL IS, UM, FROM THE, THE SCHOOL IS 10.9 MILLION. SO, SO WHY ARE WE PAYING THE SAME IN 25 IN 26 THAT WE DID IN 25? 'CAUSE TYPICALLY WHEN YOU PAY THOSE DOWN, IT STARTS TO GO DOWN, DOESN'T IT? IT DOES. UM, IT, IT'S BASED ON THE AMORTIZATION SCHEDULE. IT, IT, IT'S NOT QUITE THE SAME. IT IS A LITTLE BIT LESS, UH, FOR THIS FISCAL YEAR. AND IF YOU REMEMBER THE DAVENPORT STUDY YOU LOOKED AT A COUPLE MONTHS AGO, SIR, THE WAY THEY REDID, REISSUED THE BONDS THERE IN BLOCKS. OKAY. AND THERE'S A LITTLE TWEAK LIKE HERE SHE MENTIONED, BUT THEN IN A COUPLE OF YEARS IT'S GONNA DROP 3 MILLION. OKAY. ALRIGHT. AND THEN IT DROPS IN BLOCKS RATHER THAN ALL AT ONCE. OKAY. UM, I HAVE A QUESTION JUST TO, TO CLARIFY FOR ME, THE ENERGY BOND, WE ARE PICKING THAT UP. THEY YES. BASICALLY HAD PAID IT AND THEN THAT FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY NINE FIVE HUNDRED FOUR FIVE OH ONE WOULD'VE BEEN REIMBURSED TO THEM, CORRECT? YES. YES. IT WAS PART OF THE 28,000,650 BEFORE. RIGHT. BUT NOW THAT WE'VE PICKED IT UP, THAT'S STAYING IN OUR GENERAL FUND. THAT'S CORRECT. SO WHEN I LOOK AT THIS, IT MAKES ME THINK THAT WE ARE GIVING IT TO THEM TO ADD UP TO THAT 1.2. WELL, WE'RE NOT REALLY, WE'RE NOT REALLY GIVING IT TO 'EM. WE'RE REDUCING THEIR COST. RIGHT. SO WHY IS IT THERE THEN? WHY IS WHAT, WHY WOULD IT BE ADDED IN TO MAKE THE 1.2? BECAUSE IT'S A, IT IS A COST THEY NO LONGER HAVE TO MAKE. SO THEY GET TO, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE FOUR 50 FOR OTHER MONEY AND IT'S MONEY NOW THAT WE WILL PICK UP THAT WE WILL PAY FOR SCHOOLS. SO IT INCREASES OUR, THE COUNTY'S COST DIRECT. OKAY. BUT WE, WE ARE KEEPING THAT IN OUR GENERAL FUND AND USING IT TO PAY THE DEBT. CORRECT. SO I STILL DON'T UNDERSTAND, I MEAN, I UNDERSTAND AT SOME POINT IT'S GOING TO BENEFIT THEM BECAUSE WE'RE PAYING A BILL. THEY NO LONGER HAVE TO WORK IN THEIR BUDGET. BUT I STILL SAY WHEN I LOOK AT THAT, IT MAKES ME THINK THAT PLUS IS ADDED UP AND THEY'RE GETTING THAT 400 AND SOME TO USE FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR. BECAUSE IF YOU LOOK AT 25, AT THE 28,000,650, THEY HAD TO TAKE THE 459,000 FROM THAT. SO THEY REALLY ONLY HAD 20, 28 MILLION, 200,000 TO WORK WITH BECAUSE THEY HAD TO PAY THE DEBT AND NOW THEY WON'T HAVE TO PAY THE DEBT. THE COUNTY WILL PAY THE DEBT DIRECT. SO THEY HAVE THE ADDITIONAL 459, 450,000 TO PUT TOWARDS THEIR OTHER ACTIVITIES. SO RATHER THAN MAKE A DEBT SERVICE PAYMENT, RATHER THAN HAVING THAT BUDGETED IN THEIR DEBT SERVICE CATEGORY, THAT 4 59 CAN GO TO ANY OTHER CATEGORY BECAUSE THE TOTAL TRANSFER FROM THE COUNTY IS NOT DECREASING. IT'S REMAINS. SO WE'RE GONNA PUT IT IN A CATEGORY THAT WE HAVE ESTABLISHED FOR THEM. YES. NOT IN OUR GENERAL FUND. THAT'S CORRECT. OKAY. NOW THAT MAKES SENSE. WHEN YOU WERE SAYING PUT INITIALLY WHEN I SAID IS IT GOING IN THE GENERAL FUND, THEN IT DIDN'T MAKE SENSE THAT IT SHOULD BE IN THEIR BUDGET AT ALL? THAT'S RIGHT. IT'S [00:10:01] NOT IN THEIR BUDGET AT ALL FOR 26. SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY IT. THEY USE THAT 460,000 FOR SOMETHING ELSE AND WHATEVER THEY DETERMINE, THEY HAVE TO HAVE THE CATEGORIES APPROVED BY THE BOARD. BUT THAT'S THE ONLY STIPULATION THAT'S CLEAR AS MUD TO ME RIGHT NOW BECAUSE IT STILL SOUNDS LIKE BACK AND FORTH . OKAY. YOU COULD, YOU COULD, IF YOU WANTED, YOU COULD PUT IT, YOU COULD TRANSFER THAT FOUR 60 BACK AND JUST INCREASE IT BY FOUR 60 ON THE CONTRIBUTION. BUT THAT'S THE SAME NET AND IT PUTS ALL YOUR DEBT CONSISTENT IN ONE CATEGORY SO THAT IT'S ALL PAID THE SAME. BUT WE CAN, IF THE BOARD WANTED, WE CAN INCREASE THAT BY $460,000 AND PUT THE DEBT BACK TO THEM. NO, I DON'T, I DON'T HAVE A PROBLEM. WE PAID ALL THE REST OF THE DEBT. IT JUST, TO ME, WHEN I LOOK AT THAT, LOOKS LIKE THAT 450 IS PART OF WHAT WE'RE GIVING THEM. BUT YOU'RE SAYING THAT WE'RE ACTUALLY NOT, IT'S BEING EITHER IN OUR GENERAL FUND OR IN A CATEGORY THAT WE AT SOME POINT CAN APPROPRIATE, BUT IT'S NOT ACTUALLY PART OF THEIR BUDGET BECAUSE WE TOOK IT OUT. NOT, NOT EXACTLY RIGHT. NO, THEY, THEY WON'T SEE THE ADDITIONAL FOUR 60 'CAUSE THEY WON'T HAVE TO PAY IT. IT MEANS, I GET THAT. IT MEANS IF YOU HAVE, IF YOU HAVE A DOLLAR AND YOU HAVE TO PUT A QUARTER IN THE CHURCH ON SUNDAY AND SOMEBODY SAYS, I'M GONNA PUT THE QUARTER IN THE CHURCH, UH, PEW PLATE FOR YOU ON SUNDAY, THEN YOU HAVE ANOTHER QUARTER IN YOUR POCKET AND THEY CAN DECIDE WHAT THEY DO WITH THAT QUARTER IS WHAT IT AMOUNTS TO THAT INSTEAD OF THEM HAVING TO PAY THE DEBT. AND WE CAN'T FIGURE OUT WHY THEY WERE EVER ASSIGNED TO PAY THE DEBT, BUT THEY WERE, AND IF YOU TAKE THE DEBT OUT, IF THEY DON'T HAVE TO PAY IT, THEN IT'S, IT'S AN OBLIGATION THEY NO LONGER HAVE. SO THEY HAVE THE BENEFIT OF BEING ABLE TO GO AND PUT IT IN ANOTHER CATEGORY, WHATEVER CATEGORY THEY WOULD LIKE. OKAY. SO WE, OKAY, WE'LL, WE'LL DISCUSS IT MORE LATER. I I DON'T WANNA DRAG THIS OUT ON THAT 'CAUSE IT'S STILL NOT CLEAR TO ME, BUT WE CAN MOVE ON FROM IT. SO THE FY 25 AMENDED BUDGET AS WE WENT OVER IS 94,091,924. THE SCHOOL'S PORTION IS 39 MILLION 600 4343. SO IF YOU TAKE AWAY THAT PORTION AND YOU TAKE AWAY WHAT WE HAD PREVIOUSLY GIVEN TO CSA AND DSS AS THE LOCAL CONTRIBUTION, UM, AND THAT LEAVES YOU A REMAINDER OF 50 THOU 50,748,738. SO GOING OVER TO 26, THE PROPOSED BUDGET IS 93,000,440. AGAIN, THE SCHOOL'S CONTRIBUTION INCREASE SLIGHTLY TO 40 MILLION 847 21. AND THEN THE D-S-S-C-S-A LOCAL CONTRIBUTION 3.4 MILLION. SO THE COUNTY DEPARTMENT REQUEST THIS FISCAL YEAR, I'M SORRY, THE, THE PROPOSED FISCAL YEAR IS 49 MILLION 1 94, 2 79. SO IT IS A TOTAL REDUCTION OF $1.5 MILLION, 3.1% REDUCTION. OVERALL, JUST LIKE WHAT THE REVENUES, THE PIE CHART FOR THE EXPENDITURES GIVES A LARGE CHUNK TO PUBLIC SAFETY, UM, AND COMMUNITY SERVICES AND DEVELOPMENT, A SCHOOL'S OPERATION. THAT'S THE, AS THE HIGHEST ONE. THE REQUEST FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS IS AT THE BOTTOM. THAT WAS $6.3 MILLION. SO FROM THE ASK OF DEPARTMENTS IN PRIORITIZING WHAT NEEDED TO BE PURCHASED FOR 26 50,000 IS TO FIRE STATION ENHANCEMENTS, [00:15:01] 50,000 TO CANCER PREVENTION MEASURES AND 200,000 FOR THE ROCKLAND ATHLETIC FIELDS TOTAL TRANSFER TO THE CAPITAL IMPROVEMENT FUND OF 300,000, WHICH IS AN EXPENDITURE TO THE GENERAL FUND ASSET REPLACEMENTS. THE TOTAL ASK AT THE BOTTOM $3.5 MILLION, PRIORITIZING EVERYTHING, THE TOTAL TRANSFER TO THE ASSET REPLACEMENT FUND IS $905,000. SO THAT INCLUDES THE BUILDING INSPECTIONS, REPLACEMENT VEHICLE FINANCES, FINANCIAL SYSTEM CONSULTING SERVICES, PUBLIC WORKS, REPLACEMENT VEHICLES, PUBLIC WORKS, ASPHALT ROLLER, AND THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE REPLACEMENT VEHICLES. SO THAT IS A TOTAL OF SIX VEHICLES WITH THAT 600,000 GOT A LITTLE. SO SO WHEN YOU SAY THAT ITS TOTAL REQUEST WAS 3,501,000, WHAT? SO I DON'T SEE THE CONNECTION BETWEEN THE TWO, THE 905,000 AND 3,501,000. SO WHEN THE DEPARTMENTS, UM, CAME TO YOU IN JANUARY AND FEBRUARY WITH ALL THE REQUESTS OF THE THINGS THEY NEEDED, THEY TOTALED THE 3.5. RIGHT. AND WHAT WE'VE BEEN ABLE TO FUND IN HERE IS WHAT YOU SEE THERE. I SEE. OKAY. SO THEN THEY ASKED FOR 3.5 AND WE GAVE THEM 0.9. YES, SIR. OKAY. AND THAT'S WHY THEY WORKED ON PROJECTS LIKE, UM, THE SHERIFF'S PROJECT TO BEING ABLE TO FUND SOME THINGS THIS YEAR FOR NEXT YEAR. OKAY. AND IT TOLD YOU THEY HAVE BEEN DOING SOME OF THAT, WHAT THEY CAN FUND THIS YEAR FOR NEXT YEAR, BECAUSE THE MONEY'S NOT THERE NEXT YEAR. THE ONLY CHANGE FOR PERSONNEL REQUESTS FOR 26 IS THE FIREFIGHTER POSITIONS FOR FOREIGN RESCUE THREE POSITIONS AT $96,000 EACH. THE INITIAL REQUEST FROM PERSONNEL WAS 1.5. AND THAT CONCLUDES OUR PRESENTATION ON THE FY 26 PROPOSED BUDGET. OKAY. SO AT THIS POINT, UH, DO WE HAVE, UH, OPEN IT UP FOR, UM, DO I HAVE ANY QUESTIONS OR ANY COMMENTS FROM THE BOARD? NO. AND JUST TO LET Y'ALL, UH, I'LL NOTE MS. COOK IS, UH, SHE IS NOT HERE THIS EVENING, BUT SHE WILL BE BACK TOMORROW. SO THE, UM, UM, SO I'M OPENING UP FOR PUBLIC COMMENT. DO WE HAVE ANYBODY SIGNED UP? UH, YES SIR. FIRST UP IS SARAH JONES. OKAY, GOOD EVENING. SARAH JONES, HAPPY CREEK DISTRICT. I'M HERE TONIGHT WITH A SIMPLE BUT URGENT MESSAGE. YOU MUST PRIORITIZE FUNDING OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. NOW, I UNDERSTAND THAT THE REQUESTED INCREASE OF 4.2 MILLION IS SIGNIFICANT. HOWEVER, IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMEMBER THAT THEY WERE FLAT FUNDED LAST YEAR AND THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS HAVE NOT DIMINISHED AN INCREASE OF ONLY $750,000 FALLS FAR SHORT OF WHAT IS REQUIRED TO ADEQUATELY SUPPORT EVERY STUDENT. AT THE VERY LEAST, I URGE YOU TO CONSIDER APPROVING A $1.2 MILLION INCREASE TO HELP OUR SCHOOLS BEGIN ADDRESSING THESE ESSENTIAL NEEDS. THIS ISN'T JUST ANOTHER LINE ITEM IN THE BUDGET. THIS IS AN INVESTMENT IN THE FUTURE OF WARREN COUNTY IN THE FUTURE OF OVER 5,000 CHILDREN WHO WALK INTO THOSE CLASSROOMS EVERY DAY FULL OF POTENTIAL HOPE AND PROMISE. IF YOU COULD SEE THEIR FACES ON THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, THEIR EXCITEMENT, WHEN THEY FIND THEIR CLASSROOM, WHEN THEY'RE WELCOMED BY A TEACHER WHO BELIEVES IN THEM, WHEN THEY DISCOVER A TALENT OR A STRENGTH THAT THEY NEVER KNEW THEY HAD, YOU'D KNOW THIS IS SOMETHING [00:20:01] WE CAN'T AFFORD TO DELAY OR SHORTCHANGE. AND BEHIND EVERY ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS ARE THE EDUCATORS AND STAFF OF WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS, MENTORS, SUPPORTERS, ADVOCATES, DOING EVERYTHING THEY CAN TO HELP STUDENTS GROW, LEARN, AND BELIEVE IN THEMSELVES. THEY NEED OUR FULL SUPPORT, NOT JUST WORDS BUT RESOURCES. THE TIME TO ACT IS NOW. OUR STUDENTS CAN'T WAIT. OUR TEACHERS CAN'T STRETCH THEMSELVES ANY THINNER. OUR COMMUNITY CAN'T AFFORD THE COST OF INACTION. LET'S MAKE IT CLEAR. WARREN COUNTY'S FUTURE DEPENDS ON STRONG, WELL-FUNDED PUBLIC SCHOOLS. INVEST IN THAT FUTURE TODAY. THANK YOU. NEXT UP IS REBECCA HUDSON. HELLO, MY NAME IS REBECCA HUDSON HODGE. I AM A RESIDENT OF WARREN COUNTY'S HAPPY CREEK DISTRICT, AN EDUCATOR IN WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS AND THE PARENT OF A WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENT. I AM ALSO THE CO-PRESIDENT OF THE WARREN COUNTY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION. I'M HERE TONIGHT TO PLEAD WITH YOU TO FUND AS MUCH OF THE SCHOOL'S BUDGET BUDGET AS POSSIBLE. THE TRUTH IS OUR SCHOOLS ARE STRUGGLING. EACH YEAR WE TRY TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS WITH LESS. WE HAVE LESS SUPPORT STAFF AND LESS RESOURCES. EVERY MEMBER OF OUR STAFF, FROM TEACHERS TO SUPPORT STAFF TO ADMINISTRATORS ARE BEING ASKED TO DO MORE WITH LESS. THE ORIGINAL BUDGET FROM OUR SCHOOL BOARD WAS TRULY NEEDS-BASED. ANYTHING LESS THAN THE $4.2 MILLION REQUESTED REQUIRE, REQUIRES CUTS WITHIN THE SCHOOL AND ASKS OUR TEACHERS AND SUPPORT STAFF AND ADMINISTRATORS TO DO MORE. PLEASE CONSIDER FUNDING AT LEAST THE $1.147 MILLION. OUR SCHOOL BOARD ADOPTED A UNANIMOUS RE RESOLUTION. SUPPORTING IT IS TRULY THE BARE MINIMUM OUR SCHOOLS NEED TO CONTINUE. THIS MONEY WILL HELP STAFF PAY THE INSURANCE INCREASE ON THEIR SHARE, SORRY, ONLY PAY THE INSURANCE INCREASE ON THEIR SHARE OF THE BENEFITS INSTEAD OF THE WHOLE BURDEN. THIS MONEY WILL ALLOW US TO KEEP ONE STUDENT SUPPORT ASSISTANT IN EACH SCHOOL WHO WORKS WITH THE STUDENTS MOST IN NEED. WE ARE STILL LOSING THESE POSITIONS IN EACH OF OUR SCHOOLS, BUT ONE WILL BE BETTER THAN NONE. AS AN EDUCATOR WITH 20 YEARS IN THE CLASSROOM AND A LICENSED READING SPECIALIST, I CAN TELL YOU WITHOUT A DOUBT, THESE POSITIONS ARE CRUCIAL TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THOSE STUDENTS WHO NEED THE SUPPORT. TRULY, WE COULD HAVE USED EVEN MORE OF THOSE POSITIONS THAN WE STARTED WITH LAST YEAR, BUT IT WOULD BE ABSOLUTELY DETRIMENTAL TO OUR STUDENTS TO NOT HAVE ANY IN THE FUTURE. WE, THE WCEA IMPLORE YOU TO WORK WITH OUR SCHOOL BOARD AND ENGAGE IN DISCUSSIONS ABOUT HOW TO SUPPORT THE WCPS STAFF AND STUDENTS. WE CANNOT SUSTAIN THE FUNDING LEVELS OF THE LAST FEW YEARS. EVERY YEAR WE LOSE TEACHERS TO SURROUNDING COUNTIES WHO ARE ABLE TO PAY MORE AND OFFER MORE AND BENEFITS. I HAVE HEARD MANY B BOARD MEMBERS SAY THEY WANT TO SUPPORT TEACHERS. PLEASE HEAR ME WHEN I SAY YOU CANNOT SUPPORT TEACHERS WITHOUT SUPPORTING THE SCHOOL'S BUDGET. YES, OUR STAFF DESERVES COMPETITIVE SALARIES AND BENEFITS, BUT SUPPORTING SALARIES AND BENEFITS ALONE IS NOT ENOUGH TO SAY THE TEACHERS ARE TRULY SUPPORTED. WE ALSO NEED THE RESOURCES AND SUPPORT TO DO OUR JOBS EFFECTIVELY. WE NEED YOU, OUR BOARD OF SUPERVISORS TO SET US UP TO SUCCEED BY FUNDING THE BUDGETS ADOPTED BY OUR SCHOOL BOARD. THANK YOU. NEXT UP IS SEAN ROWE. CHAIRMAN, UH, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD. UH, MY NAME IS SEAN ROWE. I'M A MEMBER OF THE SOUTH R RIVER DISTRICT AND I'M ALSO THE PRESIDENT OF CHESTER GAP VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, A RESIDENT OF WARREN COUNTY AREA SERVED BY CHESTER GAP FIRE AND EMS. I WANNA DISCUSS THE FACT THAT WARREN COUNTY IS GETTING ONE FIREFIGHTER EMT AND ONE FIREFIGHTER PARAMEDIC FOR A FRACTION OF THE COST OF ONE FIREFIGHTER MEDIC AT COMPANY ONE. DUE TO OUR COST SHARING AGREEMENT WITH RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY, 60% OF CHESTER GAP'S CALLS ARE TO WARREN COUNTY. NOT ONLY DOES WARREN COUNTY GET TWO MEDICS FOR THE PRICE OF ONE, BUT ALSO HAVE ACCESS TO ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT THAT CAN BE PRESSED INTO SERVICE. IF THE PAID STAFF GOES AWAY AT CHESTER GAP, THERE WILL BE LONGER RESPONSE TIMES AS MEDICAL PERSONNEL WILL HAVE TO TRAVEL ALL THE WAY FROM FRONT ROYAL, MEANING YOU'LL HAVE HA HAVE, YOU'LL HAVE LONGER RESPONSE TIMES AS THE MEDICAL PERSONNEL WILL HAVE TO TRAVEL ALL THE WAY FROM FRONT ROYAL, MEANING THAT YOU MAY BE PUTTING LIVES AT RISK IN HARMONY HOLLOW POINT OF WOODS, AND LOOK FRONT ROYAL COMMUNITIES AS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. SECONDS COUNT. THANK YOU FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT OF CHESTER GAP VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. NEXT UP IS LOUIS MOTEN. [00:25:01] HELLO LEWIS MOTON NORTH RIVER DISTRICT. UH, I'VE TAKEN A DEEP DIVE INTO THE PROPOSED FISCAL BUDGET ON THE WEBSITE AND I BROUGHT A FLASHLIGHT AND A SNORKEL BECAUSE NAVIGATING THIS THING IS AN ADVENTURE. WE KEEP HEARING ABOUT INCREASED TRANSPARENCY, BUT FROM WHAT I'VE SEEN, THE BUDGET IS ABOUT ITS TRANSPARENT AS A BRICK WALL AND A FOG MACHINE. TO BE FAIR, I DIDN'T SEE COMIC SANDS AT THIS TIME, SO KUDOS FOR THAT. BUT WHAT I DID SEE WAS PAGE AFTER PAGE OF DUPLICATE LINE ITEMS LIKE SALARIES, SUPPLIES, PROFESSIONAL SERVICES, AND THE ALWAYS MYSTERIOUS BLACK HOLE OF OTHER SERVICES. IF VAGUE BUDGETING WERE AN OLYMPIC SPORT, THIS WOULD BE A GOLD MEDAL CON METAL CONTENDER. WE'RE STILL, THE WHOLE DOCUMENT IS POLISHED AS IMAGES, NOT TABLES, NOT SEARCHABLE TEXTS. SO UNLESS YOU'RE A WIZARD WITH OCR SOFTWARE, GOOD LUCK FIGURING OUT WHAT'S WHAT. TRANSPARENCY SHOULDN'T REQUIRE TECHNICAL SUPPORT TICKET. ONE ITEM THAT REALLY SET OFF ALARM BO BELLS AND 80% FUNDING CUT TO ONE OF OUR VOLUNTEER FIRE RESCUE STATIONS, OR AT LEAST I UNDERSTOOD IT. THERE'S NO NAME, NO EXPLANATION, JUST A DISAPPEARING ACT. I ASSUME WE'RE NOT PLANNING TO FIGHT FIRES WITH GOOD INTENTIONS. AND THEN WE HAVE THE WARREN COUNTY LIBRARY BOARD A SHINY NEW BUDGET ENTRY, UM, CLAIMING THAT CREDIT FOR BUDGETS BEFORE ITS EXISTENCE, REQUESTING A 16% INCREASE NEXT YEAR, DESPITE BEING CREATED WITH THE PROMISE OF COST SAVINGS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS. MEANWHILE, THE NONPROFIT THAT ACTUALLY RUNS THE LIBRARY IS CONVENIENTLY MISSING FROM THE HISTORICAL RECORD. OOPS. IT'S LIKE BUDGETING BY PLOT TWIST. TO TOP IT OFF, ORGANIZATIONS LIKE THE BLUE RIDGE ARTS COUNCIL AND BEING SLASHED BY NEARLY IN HALF IN GROUPS LIKE ARC, HABITAT FOR HUMANITY AND SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTER HAVE BEEN CROSSED OUT. SO IT'S NOT LIKE SAMUEL'S COULDN'T HAVE APPEARED IN THE LIST TO BEGIN WITH. IF THIS BUDGET IS MEANT TO REFLECT OUR COMMUNITY'S VALUES, THEN I THINK WE NEED TO HIT A REFRESH AND MAYBE, UH, IN INCLUDE A TABLE OF CONTENTS WHILE WE'RE AT IT. AND BY THE WAY, WE'RE STILL WAITING FOR SOME KIND OF NOTIFICATION THAT YOU DON'T WANNA DO THE MOA. SO I KNOW YOU GOT 90 DAYS AND THAT RENEWS JULY 1ST. SO WHAT'S GOING ON? NEXT UP IS GEORGE KLEIN, UH, GEORGE KLEIN FOURTH DISTRICT. I WANNA START WITH TWO SIMPLE DEFINITIONS. TOXICITY IS WHEN BAD BEHAVIOR SPREADS AND STOPS GOOD THINGS FROM MOVING FORWARD. SECOND ONE IS FISCAL IRRESPONSIBILITY. IT'S WASTING TAXPAYERS MONEY, SPENDING WITHOUT PURPOSE, IGNORING REAL NEEDS, PUSHING PERSONAL POLITICAL AGENDAS OVER THE PEOPLE YOU ARE ELECTED TO SERVE. WE'RE SEEING BOTH OF THESE RIGHT NOW IN WARREN COUNTY. TOXICITY IS LIKE MELANIE SALAND TEXT AND A SUPERVISOR DURING A PUBLIC MEETING CALLING HER A LIAR, SPEWING PERSONAL ATTACKS ON HER WHILE SHE'S ACTUALLY TRYING TO DO HER JOB. TOXICITY IS VICKI COOK, CONTINUING TO TARGET THE SHERIFF, NOT FOR PERFORMANCE, BUT BECAUSE HER PREFERRED CANDIDATE DIDN'T GET REELECTED. TOXICITY IS STACK STACKING THE LIBRARY BOARD AND THE AUDIT FINANCE COMMITTEE WITH POLITICAL LOYALISTS WHILE SHUTTING OUT DIVERSE VOICES IN OUR COMMUNITY. FISCAL IRRESPONSIBILITY IS ABOUT REAL MONEY, REAL NEEDS, REAL PEOPLE, AND REAL PRIORITIES. YOU'VE SPENT 51,000 FIGHTING A WELL RUN LIBRARY, MONEY AND TIME THAT COULD HAVE BEEN GONE TO ROADS, PUBLIC SAFETY SCHOOLS, AND BASIC INFRASTRUCTURE. A BUILDING DEPARTMENT VEHICLE WITH OVER 200,000 MILES LAST WEEK BROKE DOWN SOMEWHERE AROUND GOONY LOOP WITH NO CELL SERVICE FORCE, THE MEMBER OF YOUR STAFF TO WALK HOME OR WALK TO A HOME TO FI TO GET A CALL OUT. 51,000 COULD HAVE REPLACED THE VEHICLE. OUR FIRE AND RESCUE COULDN'T RESPOND TO 429 CALLS THIS YEAR AND TO MAKE UP FOR IT, THEY HAD TO PULL FUNDING FROM CHESTER GAP. OUR FIREFIGHTERS ARE MISSING CALLS AND YOUR ANSWER IS FIGHT A LIBRARY. THE SHERIFF'S OFFICE FOUND A WAY TO FUND OUTDATED RECORD MANAGEMENT SYSTEM BY UTILIZING EXISTING FUNDS IN THIS SHERIFF'S BUDGET. YOUR SHERIFF ALSO HAD TO AGREE TO NOT FILL FIVE DEPUTY POSITIONS TO FIX THE SALARY SCALE BECAUSE THEY COULDN'T COMPETE WITH TOWN SALARIES AND, AND YOU'RE CHASING POLITICAL POINTS AT THE EXPENSE OF THE LIBRARY. SCHOOLS ARE ASKING FOR TEACHERS TO BUY BASIC SUPPLIES. FACILITIES, STAFF NEEDS MONEY FOR ROOF TENNIS COURTS, ENERGY UPGRADE SYSTEMS. BLUE RIDGE TECH TURNED AWAY A HUNDRED STUDENTS THIS YEAR BECAUSE THEY'VE OUTGROWN THEIR SPACE. OUR SCHOOLS NEED NEED YOUR HELP, AND YOUR [00:30:01] PRIORITY IS TO CONTROL A LIBRARY. YOU HAVE A CHOICE. YOU CAN STOP WASTING MONEY FIGHTING A FUNCTIONING LIBRARY AND USE THAT MONEY TO HELP SOLVE REAL PROBLEMS. BEING FISCALLY IRRESPONSIBLE WITH THE COMMUNITY'S MONEY IS COMPOUNDING THE PROBLEM AND WILL COST EVEN MORE WHEN A RESPONSIBLE BOARD IS FINALLY ELECTED IN NOVEMBER. BUT IF YOU DON'T, YOU'LL BE REMEMBERED NOT JUST FOR BEING TOXIC AND IRRESPONSIBLE, BUT FOR CHOOSING TO NOTHING WHEN THE COMMUNITY NEEDED YOU THE MOST. NEXT UP IS MEGAN BUD. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS MEGAN BUD AND I LIVE IN THE FORK DISTRICT. I'M A TEACHER IN WARREN COUNTY AS WELL AS A PARENT OF TWO WARREN COUNTY STUDENTS. I'M HERE TO URGE YOU TO APPROVE THE 1.147 MILLION INCREASE REQUESTED THROUGH THE SCHOOL BOARD RESOLUTION ON JUNE 5TH. I BELIEVE THE ORIGINAL 4.2 MILLION REQUEST REF REFLECTS, REFLECTS THE TRUE SCHOOL NEED. BUT I UNDERSTAND YOU'RE FACED WITH LIMITED AVAILABLE MONEY AND MUST MAKE DIFF DIFFICULT DECISIONS. THE REQUEST OF 1.147 MILLION ONLY SCRATCHES THE SURFACE OF WHAT OUR SCHOOL TRULY NEEDS, BUT WE CANNOT SUSTAIN ANOTHER YEAR OF FLAT FUNDED BUDGET. ALSO, I WANNA SAY THAT THAT BOND MONEY WOULD BE IN ADDITION TO THAT 1.147 I BELIEVE. UM, NON-LABOR BUDGETS WERE CUT AS FAR AS POSSIBLE IN THE PAST FEW YEARS, AND THERE'S NOTHING LEFT TO CUT. THIS ADDS EVEN MORE STRESS ON EVERYONE SINCE THE COST OF MANY NECESSARY ITEMS HAVE INCREASED. MY YOUNGER DAUGHTER ATTENDS RUSSIE JEFFRIES, THE THIRD LARGEST SCHOOL IN THE COUNTY, YET THEIR NON-LABOR BUDGET HAS NOT BEEN ABLE TO KEEP UP WITH THEIR GROWTH. THE PRESENTED BUDGET WOULD GIVE THEM A MUCH NEEDED INCREASE TO HELP SUPPORT THEIR GROWING STUDENT POPULATION. I DON'T BELIEVE THIS EVEN GIVES THEM WHAT THEY ACTUALLY NEED, BUT IT WOULD BE A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION TOWARDS PROVIDING EQUITABLE LEARNING EXPERIENCES FOR THEIR STUDENTS. COMPARED TO THE STUDENTS AT OTHER SCHOOLS, I'VE HEARD 750,000 AS A POSSIBLE AMOUNT THAT YOU HAVE IN MIND, BUT THAT WILL NOT BE ENOUGH TO INCLUDE THE MUCH NEEDED NON-LABOR INCREASES IF YOU DO NOT APPROVE AT LEAST 1.147 MILLION. I FEAR THAT THESE WILL BE AMONG THE FIRST TO BE CUT AND IT WILL BE OUR CHILDREN THAT SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES. WE ALSO NEED TO BE ABLE TO ATTRACT AND RETAIN QUALITY TEACHERS. WE CANNOT DO THAT IF WE'RE NOT AT LEAST KEEPING UP WITH THE STATE PROPOSED SALARY INCREASES OR WORKING TO KEEP OUR HEALTH INSURANCE RATES AS COMPETITIVE AS POSSIBLE. I HAVE PERSONALLY WORKED IN AN UNDERSTAFFED DEPARTMENT FOR YEARS AND IT ADDS STRESS AND ADDITIONAL WORKLOAD ON THE REMAINING TEACHERS. I'VE SEEN FAR TOO MANY AMAZING EDUCATORS LEAVE THIS COUNTY BECAUSE THEY SIMPLY CANNOT AFFORD TO STAY HERE. I WANT MY DAUGHTERS, NIECES, NEPHEWS, AND ALL OF THE CHILDREN OF THIS COMMUNITY TO GET THE BEST EDUCATION POSSIBLE. I BELIEVE IN OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM, BUT WE WILL NOT SEE POSITIVE GROWTH IF WE DO NOT FUND OUR SCHOOLS APPROPRIATELY. PLEASE CONSIDER INCREASING YOUR PROPOSED 750,000 TO 1.147 MILLION BECAUSE THAT WILL BE THE ONLY WAY TO COVER THE BARE MINIMUMS TO ADDRESS THEIR MOST CRITICAL NEEDS. THANK YOU. NEXT UP IS JENNY BRYANT. HELLO, MY NAME IS JENNY HAYWOOD BRYANT. I'M A MOM TO THREE WARREN COUNTY STUDENTS, A TEACHER AT WARREN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOR THE LAST 14 YEARS, AND A RESIDENT OF FORK DISTRICT. GOOD RIDDANCE. VICKI. I'M ONE OF MANY PEOPLE HERE TONIGHT WHO LOVE OUR COMMUNITY AND BELIEVE IN ITS FUTURE. BUT I HAVE TO BE HONEST, WE CAN'T GO ON LIKE THIS. I'M WORRIED ABOUT OUR STUDENTS, OUR TEACHERS, AND THE DIRECTION WE ARE HEADING TO. IF WE DO NOT INCREASE OUR SCHOOL SYSTEM BUDGET BY THE BARE MINIMUM TO AT LEAST THE $1.147 MILLION, THE LACK OF FUNDING IS TAKING A TOLL ON WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. OUR TEACHERS ARE DOING MORE AND MORE WITH LESS AND LESS EVERY PASSING YEAR. THEY'RE NOT ONLY POURING THEIR HEARTS INTO THEIR CLASSROOMS, BUT ALSO THEIR WALLETS. AND DON'T ASSUME THAT TEACHERS WANT TO BUY THEIR OWN CLASSROOM SUPPLIES. WE DO IT BECAUSE WE HAVE NO OTHER CHOICE. THAT'S NOT GENEROSITY. IT'S DESPERATION. MEANWHILE, CLASS SIZES KEEP GROWING AND SUPPORT STAFF IS STRETCHED THIN BUILDINGS NEED REPAIRS. PROGRAMS THAT MAKE SCHOOL MEANINGFUL, LIKE MUSIC, THE CTES AND ART CLASSES ARE CONSTANTLY ON THE CHOPPING BLOCK. EVEN WORSE, WE ARE LOSING THE QUALITY TEACHERS BECAUSE THEY CANNOT AFFORD TO STAY. OUR STUDENTS ARE THE ONES WHO ARE PAYING THE PRICE. THEY'RE SITTING IN OUTDATED CLASSROOMS RELYING ON ED AGING TECHNOLOGY WITH FEWER STAFF TO SUPPORT THEM. AND YET THEY SHOW UP EVERY DAY. THEY WANT TO LEARN AND THEY WANT TO THRIVE. BUT HOW CAN THEY, WHEN WE CAN'T GIVE 'EM THE TOOLS TO DO IT, OUR STUDENTS DESERVE MORE THAN THE BARE MINIMUM. WE CAN'T KEEP CUTTING CORNERS AND EXPECT OUR SCHOOLS TO PERFORM MIRACLES. OUR TEACHERS ARE TIRED, OUR SUPPORT STAFF ARE OVERWHELMED, AND THE FAMILIES ARE WATCHING OUR FOUNDATION OF THE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM ERODE. THIS IS NOT ABOUT DOLLARS AND CENTS, IT'S ABOUT WHAT KIND OF COMMUNITY DO WE WANT TO BE? [00:35:01] DO WE WANT TO BE A COUNTY THAT INVESTS IN OUR CHILDREN, IT'S EDUCATORS, OUR FUTURE? OR ARE WE CONTENT TO KEEP TELLING OUR STUDENTS TO JUST MAKE DO WITH FEWER RESOURCES, FEWER OPPORTUNITIES AND LESS SUPPORT? WE CANNOT CUT OUR WAY TO EXCELLENCE. WE CANNOT UNDERFUND OUR WAY TO STRONG SCHOOLS. WARREN COUNTY STUDENTS AND STAFF DESERVE MORE THAN SURVIVAL. THEY DESERVE A CHANCE TO SURVIVE. I'M SORRY. WE DESERVE A CHANCE TO THRIVE. AND THAT TAKES INVESTMENT. THIS IS NOT OUR YEAR TO HOLD BACK. THIS IS THE YEAR TO STEP UP. PLEASE INVEST IN OUR STUDENTS, OUR TEACHERS, AND OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU. NEXT UP IS ELISA BRADFORD. GOOD EVENING. I'M ELISA BRADFORD, UH, FORK DISTRICT, UM, WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER AND THE CO-PRESIDENT ALSO OF THE WARREN COUNTY EDUCATION ASSOCIATION. UM, HERE TONIGHT, SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF DR. ANTOINETTE FUNK, THE VICE CHAIR OF THE SCHOOL BOARD, AND A LIFELONG PUBLIC EDUCATOR WHO REGRETS NOT BEING ABLE TO BE HERE THIS EVENING. I COME TO YOU TONIGHT NOT ONLY AS A CAREER EDUCATOR OF 26 YEARS, BUT AS A 26 YEAR VOTER AND ENGAGED MEMBER OF THIS COMMUNITY. I'VE SAT AT THE TABLE FOR THE LAST FOUR YEARS DURING BUDGET DISCUSSIONS, AND WHILE I COULD REFLECT ON THE PAST, I'M HERE TO TALK ABOUT NOW ABOUT THIS YEAR'S PRIORITY BUDGET AND WHAT IT MEANS FOR OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS, OUR CHILDREN, AND OUR FUTURE. ON MARCH 5TH, 2025, THE SCHOOL BOARD APPROVED A BUDGET THAT REQUESTED AN ADDITIONAL 4.2 MILLION TO MEET THE NEEDS OF OUR STUDENTS. YES, 4.2 MILLION. AND REMEMBER, LAST YEAR WE REQUESTED 2 MILLION MORE AND WE WERE FLAT FUNDED. THE NEED DIDN'T GO AWAY. IT GREW. DR. BALLINGER AND HIS STAFF PUT FORWARD A BUDGET THAT WAS CLEAR, SPECIFIC AND GROUNDED IN MEASURABLE OUTCOMES. IT WASN'T PADDED, IT WASN'T VAGUE, IT WAS BUILT ON DATA AND NEED. EVERY LINE ITEM WAS REVIEWED IN OUR BUDGET COMMITTEE AND I SUPPORTED COMPLETELY BECAUSE IT WAS HONEST, IT WAS RESPONSIBLE AND IT WAS NECESSARY. LET'S BE CLEAR. IT IS NOT THE JOB OF THE SUPERINTENDENT TO WATER DOWN THE NEEDS OF OUR SCHOOLS TO FIT A PUBLIC AGENDA. HIS JOB IS TO TELL THE TRUTH ABOUT WHAT OUR SCHOOLS REQUIRE TO SERVE OUR STUDENTS. WELL, AND HE DID THAT. HE STOOD FIRM AND I STAND WITH HIM. BUT WHEN THE BUDGET WENT BEFORE THE FULL BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AT OUR JOINT MEETING, IT WAS PAINFULLY OBVIOUS. THE DECISION HAD ALREADY BEEN MADE. YOU DIDN'T COME TO LISTEN, YOU DIDN'T COME TO ENGAGE IN DIALOGUE WITHIN THE HOUR. YOU VOTED NO UNEVEN, AVERAGE, NOT EVEN ADVER, NOT EVEN ADVERTISING ON A TAX RATE THAT COULD SUPPORT OUR SCHOOLS. ONE HOUR, NO DELIBERATION, NO CONVERSATION, JUST NO. THAT WAS NOT JUST A VOTE AGAINST A NUMBER THAT WAS A VOTE AGAINST OUR STUDENTS, AGAINST OUR TEACHERS, AGAINST OUR COMMUNITY. IT WAS AGAINST THE VERY IDEA OF PUBLIC EDUCATION AS AN INVESTMENT IN OUR SHARED FUTURE. YOU ARE ELECTED TO LISTEN TO YOUR COMMUNITY, BUT TIME AND AGAIN, YOU HEAR US AND CHOOSE NOT TO RESPOND. AND WE KNOW FUND FULL FUNDING ISN'T COMING, BUT WE DON'T UNDERSTAND IS WHY, WHY DIDN'T YOU EVEN TRY? WHY DIDN'T YOU GIVE IT A CHANCE? WHY DIDN'T YOU REACH OUT? WHY WEREN'T THERE PHONE CALLS, THE MEETINGS, CONVERSATIONS? NOT ONCE DID I HEAR CAN WE SIT DOWN AND TALK? SO HERE'S MY CHALLENGE TO YOU. STOP, REFLECT AND SHOW US THAT YOU ARE WILLING TO LISTEN TO REALLY, TRULY LISTEN TO THE VOICES OF THE PEOPLE WHO PUT YOU IN THOSE SEATS. INVEST IN OUR PUBLIC SCHOOLS. NOT BECAUSE IT'S EASY, NOT BECAUSE IT'S POLITICALLY CONVENIENT, BUT BECAUSE IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO. THANK YOU. NEXT UP IS JESSICA FORBES. SORRY, A A LITTLE SHORT. UM, GOOD EVENING. I'M JESSICA FORBES, A WARREN COUNTY RESIDENT IN THE SOUTH RIVER DISTRICT, A WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHER. I'M SPEAKING ON BEHALF OF DR. KRISTEN PENCE, THE CHAIR OF THE SCHOOL BOARD WHO REGRETS NOT BEING ABLE TO BE HERE. MY DAUGHTER AND I ARE IN SOUTH CAROLINA THIS WEEK, SO I'LL BE UNABLE TO ATTEND YOUR PUBLIC HEARING ON THE PROPOSED BUDGET THIS EVENING. I'M IN FULL SUPPORT OF THE BUDGET WE APPROVED ON MARCH 5TH, 2025. I BELIEVE THE INCREASE 4.2 MILLION REFLECTS THE REQUESTS THAT ARE TRUE MOST BASIC NEEDS FOR OUR SCHOOL DIVISION. AS A MOTHER OF A RISING FOURTH GRADER AT RUSSI JEFFRIES, I SEE EACH DAY HOW FUNDS ARE USED AND I'M WELL AWARE OF REQUESTS MADE TO PARENTS AND COMMUNITY MEMBERS THROUGHOUT THE YEARS. I APPRECIATE THE TIME OUR ADMINISTRATORS SPENT PREPARING THIS YEAR'S BUDGET AND THE [00:40:01] DETAILED PRESENT PRESENTATION THEY WERE ABLE TO PROVIDE TO BOTH THE SCHOOL BOARD AND THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS. IT WAS DISAPPOINTING TO SAY THE LEAST THAT YOU VOTE NO TO ADVERTISING AN INCREASED TAX RATE. JUST HOURS AFTER WE HELD OUR JOINT MEETING TO DISCUSS THE SCHOOL BUDGET, I WISH YOU WOULD'VE TAKEN IT TO THE PUBLIC TO HEAR THEIR OPINION AND AT LEAST GIVEN US A CHANCE AT MORE THAN JUST 750 K ENTERED INTO OUR LINE OF YOUR PROPOSED BUDGET. I KNOW THE SHIP HAS SAILED ON THE 4.2 MILLION, BUT I ASK YOU TO STRONGLY CONSIDER THE RESOLUTION THE SCHOOL BOARD PASSED UNANIMOUSLY ON JUNE 5TH TO INCREASE THE SEVEN 50 K TO 1.147 MILLION. THIS DOES NOT COVER ALL OF OUR SCHOOL NEEDS BY ANY STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION, BUT IT WILL ALLOW US TO PROVIDE BETTER RESOURCES TO OUR STUDENTS IN THE 20 25 20 26 SCHOOL YEAR. OUR STUDENTS AND TEACHERS DESERVE OUR SUPPORT FUNDING PUBLIC EDUCATION IS THE SINGLE MOST IMPORTANT THING YOU CAN DO TO STRENGTHEN OUR COMMUNITY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME. KRISTEN PENCE, SOUTH RIVER DISTRICT. NOW, IN MY OWN WORDS, MY PARENTS, JOHN AND JENNIFER FORBES, THEY TAUGHT ME TO STAND UP FOR THINGS THAT I BELIEVE IN. ALTHOUGH I DON'T ALWAYS AGREE WITH THE PUBLIC EDUCATION SYSTEM, I DO BELIEVE THAT IT IS PERFECT FOR OUR STUDENTS AND OUR COMMUNITY TO GROW. THANK YOU. NEXT UP IS ALAN FOX. GOOD EVENING. ALLEN FOX, SOUTH RIVER DISTRICT. I HAVE LIVED IN WARREN COUNTY FOR 59 AND ONE HALF YEARS. I WORKED FOR WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS FOR 40 YEARS. MY FATHER HAS BEEN IN WARREN COUNTY SINCE 1923 WHEN HIS FAMILY WAS KICKED OFF THE SKYLINE DRIVE AT LANDS, RUN FALLS. I LOVE SPORTS IN WARREN COUNTY. I PLAYED FOR SEVERAL PEOPLE THAT, UH, PEOPLE WILL RECOGNIZE THEIR NAME. SKIP ATKINS, DAVE WINES, JOE SWAGGER, YATES HALL, JIM MOOSE SPORTS WERE GOOD TO OUR KIDS AND THEY WERE GOOD TO ME. MY PARENTS OWNED AND OPERATED A LAUNDROMAT IN WARREN COUNTY FOR 47 YEARS, AND YOU GUYS PROBABLY KNOW ABOUT THAT SINCE WARREN COUNTY NOW OWNS THE BUILDING WHERE THEIR LAUNDROMAT WAS. I, I SAW THIS TO POINT OUT THAT I LOVE WARREN COUNTY AND I'M HOPING, ACTUALLY, I'M SURE THAT SINCE YOU'RE SITTING IN YOUR CHAIRS, THAT YOU LOVE WARREN COUNTY. ALSO, ON DECEMBER THE 17TH, 2021, I WAS HIT BY A CAR IN WARREN COUNTY. AND THAT NIGHT I SHOULD HAVE DIED. IN FACT, I WOULD HAVE DIED EXCEPT FOR THE CHESTER GAP VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT AND RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTY. THEY FOUND ME. THEY INTUBATED ME. THEY PUT ME IN THE RESCUE SQUAD BEFORE WARREN COUNTY COULD ARRIVE. WARREN COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE DOES A WONDERFUL JOB, BUT THEY COULD NOT GET THERE IN TIME TO SAVE ME OVER THE YEARS. THEY SAVED MY FATHER'S LIFE, MY MOTHER'S LIFE, AND MY MOTHER-IN-LAW'S LIFE. THIS ONCE AGAIN IS THE CHESTER GAP VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. I UNDERSTAND BY LISTENING TO, I BELIEVE TO MR. DALEY, MAYBE I UNDERSTAND MORE. IT APPEARS THAT YOU HAVE FUNDED FIRE AND RESCUE, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN THAT THAT MONEY WILL NECESSARILY END UP IN, UH, THE BUDGET FOR CHESTER GAP VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. AND I HOPE THAT INDEED WHOEVER IS IN CHARGE WILL MAKE SURE THAT THEY HAVE THE MONEY TO SUPPORT BEAR HOLLOW POINT OF WOODS AND LAKEFRONT ROYAL BECAUSE THOSE PEOPLE DESERVE JUST AS QUICK A SERVICE AS ANYONE ELSE. AND MY SUPPORT ALSO GOES OUT TO WARREN COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS. THANK YOU. NEXT UP IS JANET FOX, MONO SMITH, [00:45:16] JANET FOX, MONTE SMITH, SOUTH RIVER DISTRICT, UM, ALAN'S SISTER . UM, ON THE NIGHT THAT ALAN WAS HEARD ON REMOUNT ROAD, I RAN UP AND DOWN THE ROAD CALLING HIS NAME, UH, WHILE DIALING 9 1 1 AND TELLING THE DISPATCHER THE LOCATION WHAT HAD HAPPENED THE WORST FEW MINUTES OF MY LIFE. A GENTLEMAN GOT OUT OF HIS CAR TO HELP SEARCH AND I HEARD HIM YELL, HE'S HERE AND HE'S BREATHING. HE WAS BREATHING SHALLOW AND LABORED, BUT BREATHING. THE CHESTER GOT VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT RESPONDED IN RECORD TIME. ABOUT THREE MINUTES IN MAY, ALAN AND I MET WITH TWO OF THE FIRST RESPONDERS WHO WERE ON SITE THAT NIGHT. CHIEF TODD BROWN AND JESSICA SWAN. AMAZING LADY. AFTER TALKING WITH TODD AND JESSICA, I REALIZED HOW VERY BLESSED WE WERE THAT THEY WERE SO CLOSE, RESPONDED SO QUICKLY AND MADE ALL THE RIGHT DECISIONS. ALAN WAS INTUBATED ON SITE, A STEP THAT SAVED HIS LIFE BECAUSE HE NEVER LOST OXYGEN. HE WAS TAKEN TO WINCHESTER MEDICAL CENTER AND HOURS LATER TRANSFERRED BY HELICOPTER TO INOVA FAIRFAX. ALAN SPENT WEEKS IN THE CRITICAL CARE TRAUMA UNIT IN NOVA AND MONTHS OF IN AND OUTPATIENT PHYSICAL THERAPY, EXCUSE ME, AND REHAB. ALAN'S INJURIES WERE FAR. BRAIN BLEEDS, A CRUSHED EYE SOCKET, MULTIPLE VERTEBRAE, FRACTURES IN THE NECK AND SPINE. 15 BROKEN RIBS, PELVIS, TAILBONE, WRIST PUNCTURED, LUNG FRACTURE, FRACTURES AND LACERATIONS TO A KIDNEY AND EAR. GOD IS GOOD. A WALKING TALKING MIRACLE SITTING BACK HERE. THANKS TO THE QUICK RESPONSE AND EXCELLENT ONSITE TREATMENT ADMINISTERED THAT NIGHT. THANK YOU TO EVERYONE WHO RESPONDED THAT NIGHT. THE CHESTER GAP VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. TODD JESSIE. EDDIE CRAIG GRACE, THE WARREN COUNTY FIRE AND RESCUE. CASSIE AND JESSE WARREN COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT OF THE VIRGINIA STATE POLICE, AND THE GENTLEMAN WHO GOT OUT OF HIS CAR TO HELP SEARCH. THANK YOU WARREN COUNTY FOR ALL YOUR THOUGHTS AND PRAYERS. WE MAY HAVE OUR DIFFERENCES AND IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS RIGHT NOW, BUT NO PLACE ELSE. I'D RATHER LIVE TWO TRAINED, EXPERIENCED FIRST RESPONDERS 24 7. 365 DAYS A YEAR IS WHAT CHESTER GAP PROVIDES. WARREN AND RAPPAHANNOCK COUNTIES ARE BOTH GETTING A GREAT DEAL BECAUSE THE COST IS SHARED. RAPPAHANNOCK IS ALSO IN A BUDGET CRUNCH. SO IF WARREN COUNTY DOESN'T CONTINUE TO FUND OUR PORTION OF THIS PROGRAM, IT WILL LIKELY END LOCATION MATTERS. RESPONSE TIMES MATTER, MINUTES MATTERS, SECONDS MATTERS. TWO, AVAILABLE, TRAINED, EXPERIENCED FIRST RESPONDERS, 24 7 365 DAYS A YEAR MATTER. THIS PROGRAM MATTERS THAT WARREN COUNTY RAPPAHANNOCK LINE DOES NOT MATTER. THOUSANDS OF WARREN COUNTY RESIDENTS WILL BE ADVERSELY AFFECTED IF WE DON'T CONTINUE TO FIND CHESTER GAP. VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. PLEASE FIND A WAY TO CONTINUE TO FOR, TO FUND OUR PORTION OF THIS ESSENTIAL PROGRAM. THE DECISION YOU MAKE MAY SAVE A LIFE. THANK YOU ALSO FOR ANY ADDITIONAL FUNDING FOR OUR SCHOOLS. NEXT UP IS ROB CHENOWETH. ROB CHENOWETH, SOUTH RIVER DISTRICT, THE CHESTER GAP VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT. IT'S VERY IMPORTANT TO OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR AREA. I'VE HAD, UH, TALK WITH MULTIPLE NEIGHBORS, SEVERAL OF WHOM WERE NOT ABLE TO BE HERE TONIGHT. UM, BUT A BUNCH OF PEOPLE ARE CONCERNED ABOUT THE TRAVEL TIME. AND WE HAVE SEEN OVER EVEN JUST THE LAST COUPLE YEARS, SOME CRITICAL CARE RESPONSE THAT WAS SO FAST, QUICK FROM CHESTER GAP THAT GAVE OUR MY NEIGHBORS THE ABILITY TO MAKE IT TO THE HOSPITAL AND SURVIVE, UH, THROUGH MASSIVE HEART ATTACKS AND, AND OTHER EMERGENCY CONCERNS. UH, THERE'S A GREAT CONCERN ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE IN WHAT AN ADDITIONAL FOUR TO SIX MILES OF TRAVEL AND JUST WHERE THAT ACCESS IS. AND, UH, LIKE THE, UH, EARLIER LADY SAID ACROSS THAT LINE, THAT LINE IS MA IS DOESN'T MEAN ANYTHING WHEN YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT THE PEOPLE THAT LIVE ON EITHER SIDE OF THAT HILL. UH, WHEN YOU GET TO THE TOP OF THE HILL AND GO DOWN, THOSE PEOPLE [00:50:01] MATTER JUST AS MUCH AS THE OTHER SIDE. AND THEY'RE HELPING US PAY FOR THIS, FOR CHESTER GAP. SO, UM, PLEASE CONSIDER THAT THE, UH, UH, THE HEALTH AND CARE OF MANY COMMUNITIES ARE DEPENDENT ON IT AND DEPENDENT ON THE SUPPORT AND, UH, AND THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE CARE OF THOSE PEOPLE THAT, THAT RUN FOR THAT AMBULANCE AND FIRE DEPARTMENT AT CHESTER GAP, ALSO ON THE, UH, UH, EDUCATION FOR THE COUNTY. MY WIFE IS A TEACHER. I, THE THAT, UH, THAT ONE PERSON THAT STICKS WITH THE KID THAT NEEDS EXTRA SUPPORT AND HELP IS NOT JUST HELPING THAT ONE KID THAT'S THERE IN THAT CLASSROOM. IT'S ACTUALLY ALLOWING THAT TEACHER TO TEACH REST OF THE 22 OTHER KIDS. UM, SO IF YOU'RE LINE ITEM IN THIS AND YOU THINK, WELL, THERE'S ONLY THIS PERSON IS ONLY OF VALUE FOR SIX OR EIGHT KIDS THROUGH THE DAY, YOU'RE NOT PAYING ATTENTION TO THE DIFFICULTY OF, OF WHAT IT TAKES TO RUN A CLASSROOM. AND I DID, I I'VE TAUGHT SCHOOL IN OTHER COUNTIES. UM, THOSE KIDS THAT NEED THAT EXTRA SUPPORT CAN LEARN AND STAY IN SCHOOL AND NOT DROP OUT. IT WILL, IT, IT'S SUPPORTS THEIR READING LEVEL AND IT KEEPS THE KIDS IN SCHOOL. NEXT UP IS CHRIS FULTON. GOOD EVENING. MY NAME IS LIEUTENANT CHRIS FULTON. I SPEAK TO YOU TONIGHT AS A REPRESENTATIVE OF CHESTER GAP VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT AS A FIRST RESPONDER, AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, AS A NEIGHBOR WHO HAS SEEN THE BEST AND WORST OF WHAT HAPPENS WHEN SOMEONE DIALS NINE ONE ONE. I WAS BORN AND RAISED RIGHT HERE IN FRONT ROYAL. I GRADUATED FROM WARREN COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL. I WENT ON TO SERVE 20 YEARS IN THE US NAVY AND IN THE US ARMY. I ALSO PROUD GRADUATE OF LORD FAIRFAX AND GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY. AND SINCE RETURNING HOME, I'VE WORKED AS PROJECT MANAGER ENGINEER, SMALL BUSINESS OWNER SINCE CHILDHOOD. I'VE ANSWERED THE CALL TO SERVICE WITH AN IRON WILL. DEDICATION AND COMPASSION. THIS IS NOT JUST A BUDGETED DECISION, THIS IS A LIFE OR DEATH DECISION. EVERY DOLLAR YOU ALLOCATE TO TRUST GAP, VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENT BECOMES MINUTES SAVED IN A CRISIS. CPR IN PROGRESS WOULD SECONDS COUNT A HOME NOT LOST TO THE FIRE. A FAMILY SPARED FROM GRIEF. RIGHT NOW, CHESTER GAP RECEIVES $178,204 A YEAR FROM THE COUNTY. THAT'S LESS THAN 5% OF THE TOTAL BUDGET FROM THE MODEST INVESTMENT. OUR VOLUNTEERS AND PAID STAFF RESPOND TO HUNDREDS OF CALLS PER YEAR. STRUCTURE FIRES, CAR CRASHES, CARDIAC ARREST, LIFE-THREATENING EMERGENCIES IN THE MOST RURAL AREAS, WE DO IT ON TIGHT MARGINS. WE DO IT WITHOUT OVERTIME OR BENEFITS. WE DO IT WHILE HOLDING DOWN FULL-TIME JOBS. WE DO IT WITHOUT OR ASKING IS IT WORTH IT BECAUSE WE KNOW IT IS. THE REALITY IS, IF FUNDING IS CUT, RESPONSE TIMES WILL RISE. FIRES DOUBLE IN SIZE EVERY 60 SECONDS. BRAIN DAMAGE OCCURS WITHIN FOUR TO SIX MINUTES WITHOUT OXYGEN. THESE ARE ALL THE DIFFERENCES THAT COMMUNITY-BASED VOLUNTEER FIRE DEPARTMENTS MAKE THE COST TO REPLACE THIS. YOU'RE NOT LOOKING AT $178,204, YOU'RE LOOKING AT NEARLY 1 MILLION PER YEAR TO STAFF A COMPARABLE STATION WITH SIX CAREER PERSONNEL. OUR PAID STAFF IS SAVING THIS COMMUNITY HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS ANNUALLY. WE'RE NOT A LIABILITY FOR YOUR BEST RETURN ON INVESTMENTS. THE THREE PERSONNEL THAT ARE CLAIMED TO BE REPLACING US WOULD BE PARAMEDICS SPREAD ACROSS A, B AND C SHIFTS. THIS WOULD ONLY NET YOU ONE INCREASE OF PERSONNEL PER SHIFT. THE ESTIMATED COST BEING $295,200. I ASKED YOU TONIGHT, REAFFIRM YOUR INVESTMENT IN THE SAFETY OF OUR CITIZENS. NOT JUST BECAUSE IT'S COST EFFECTIVE, BECAUSE IT'S MORALLY RIGHT. WHEN YOU, WHEN YOUR CONSTITUENTS CALL FOR HELP, THEY'RE NOT ASKING FOR POLITICS. THEY'RE ASKING FOR YOUR PROTECTION. WE STAND READY TO SERVE. WE JUST NEED THE RESOURCES TO CONTINUE. MY FINAL THOUGHTS, GOOD BUSINESS ISN'T CUTTING THINGS THAT WORK GOOD BUSINESS IS BUILDING SMART, TESTED SYSTEMS THAT SAVE LIVES AND DOLLARS. [00:55:01] CHESTER GAP FIRE DEPARTMENT HAS FAITHFULLY SERVED THIS COMMUNITY SINCE 1960. AND IN THOSE 65 YEARS WE'VE ALWAYS ANSWERED THE CALL. OUR FRIENDS AND NEIGHBORS KNOW US TO BE ONE OF A KIND AND IRREPLACEABLE. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME, TRUST, SUPPORT THAT, THAT'S ALL FOR THE SIGN, I BELIEVE, SIR. THANK YOU. SO IS THERE ANYONE, UH, IN THE, UH, AUDIENCE WHO WOULD LIKE TO SPEAK? I GOING ONCE, GOING TWICE. PUBLIC COMMENT PERIOD IS NOW CLOSED. SO ARE THERE ANY, UH, ANY INPUT FROM THE, UH, FROM THE BOARD? WE CAN'T DO ANYTHING ELSE. I I WOULD JUST LIKE TO SAY THAT I WHOLEHEARTEDLY I SAID IT FROM THE BEGINNING. I WHOLEHEARTEDLY SUPPORT THE BUDGET THAT THE SCHOOL BROUGHT FORWARD. I WISH THAT WE HAD INCREASED THE TAXES A LITTLE, UM, EDUCATED THE, UH, PUBLIC AND LET THEM DECIDE IF THEY COULD SUPPORT A TAX INCREASE AT THIS TIME OR NOT. UM, ASKING FOR MORE MONEY AT THIS POINT, YOU KNOW, WHERE'S IT GONNA COME FROM? SO WE, WE KIND OF, UM, CUT OUR NOSE OFF TO SPITE OUR FACE ON THAT ONE. AND AS FAR AS CHESTER GAP, I'VE ALWAYS, UH, CHAMPIONED THAT PROGRAM. AND, UM, I THINK THE TESTIMONIES HERE TONIGHT, I'VE KNOWN MR. FOX. I, IT WAS HARD LISTENING TO THAT HAD HIS KIDS AT SCHOOL, WONDERFUL KIDS, AND HE WENT THROUGH A LOT. FOR HIM TO BE ABLE TO GET UP HERE IS AMAZING. UM, AND I'M GLAD TO SEE IT. SO IT CONCERNS ME OF, OF CUTTING CHESTER GAP BECAUSE MY FEAR IS THEY'RE GONNA LOSE THE M THE EMS SIDE. THEY'LL BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THE FIREFIGHTING, BUT I DON'T THINK THEY'RE GONNA BE ABLE TO SUSTAIN THE EMS. AND WE ALL KNOW THAT IS, UM, YOU KNOW, YOU CAN GET OUTTA YOUR HOUSE AND NO ONE WANTS TO LOSE THEIR HOUSE. BUT IF YOU GET OUT, UM, THAT CAN BE REPLACED. LIVES CANNOT BE REPLACED. SO IT DOES CONCERN ME, AND I CAN'T SIT HERE AND NOT SAY THAT THOSE TWO THINGS ARE THE THINGS IN THIS BUDGET THAT REALLY, UM, CONCERNED ME NOT BEING ABLE TO FUND THEM BETTER THAN WHAT WE HAVE. ANY OTHER COMMENTS? I'LL JUST SAY REGARDING THE SCHOOL'S. UM, MY, MY SON'S BEEN A TEACHER FOR WARREN COUNTY THIS PAST SCHOOL YEAR. AND, UH, SO I HEAR A LOT ABOUT THE, THE STRUGGLE AND I KNOW THAT IT'S REAL. AND, UM, I'M, UH, I'M WISHING WE COULD DO MORE THAN THE SEVEN 50 THAT'S IN THE BUDGET. UM, THAT SAID, I'M, I'M PLEASED THAT WE EVEN GOT TO THE SEVEN 50 BECAUSE IT WASN'T A GIVEN. UM, AND, UH, THERE ARE A LOT OF COMPETING NEEDS THAT ARE ALL WORTHY. UM, WE ARE IN A TIGHT PLACE AND, UM, IT'S THE CASE WITH CHESTER GAP TOO. UM, WE WOULD LIKE TO BE ABLE TO FUND EVERYTHING, UM, BUT HARD DECISIONS NEED TO BE MADE. AND SOMETIMES IT COMES DOWN TO DATA-DRIVEN, UM, ANALYSIS. UM, ON THAT, I, I TRUST OUR, UM, OUR FIRE, UH, CHIEF AND, UH, UM, I KNOW THAT A LOT OF THOUGHT HAS GONE INTO THIS. I ALSO KNOW THAT RAPPA HANOCK, UH, HAS PUT US IN A DIFFICULT SITUATION ON THIS. UM, UH, THE, UH, THE BOTTOM LINE I THINK IS THAT, UM, AND SOMEONE POINTED THIS OUT IN AN EMAIL, YOU KNOW, IT, IT'S, IT'S A HARD SITUATION WHERE WE ARE IN CUTTING MODE. UM, WE NEED A REVENUE SOLUTION. UM, THAT SAID, UM, PEOPLE ARE TAPPED OUT. A LOT OF PEOPLE IN THIS COMMUNITY ARE, ARE VERY TAPPED OUT. UH, I'VE HELPED A LOT OF PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THEIR TAXES, UH, TRY TO GET PAYMENT PLANS FOR THEIR TAXES. UM, PEOPLE ARE NOT HAPPY WHEN THE TAXES GO UP AND IT'S EASY TO ASK FOR THAT, BUT IT'S, IT'S HARD TO ACTUALLY DO IT. UM, SO THE REV REVENUE SOLUTION NEEDS TO COME ON THE, ON THE, UH, ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT SIDE. UM, AND SO THERE'S A LOT OF TALK ON THAT. UM, I'M HOPEFUL THAT IN THE COMING YEARS WE CAN MAKE REALLY GOOD PROGRESS THERE. UH, TO ME, I THINK OUR, OUR BIGGEST, UH, OPPORTUNITY AROUND THAT IS TOURISM. UM, THERE'S TALK ABOUT DATA CENTERS. UH, I THINK THAT IS, UM, A VERY RISKY GAMBLE, UH, BECAUSE IT UNDERMINES THE TOURISM, UH, PROPOSITION. UH, AND THE REVENUES OF DATA CENTERS [01:00:01] ARE, ARE FLEETING AT BEST. UH, I'LL BE PUBLISHING SOMETHING ABOUT THAT SOON, UM, IN, IN THE, UH, EDITORIAL SECTION. UM, BUT, UH, IT, IT IS A TOUGH SITUATION RIGHT NOW. UM, I, I WISH WE HAD MORE MONEY FOR EVERYBODY 'CAUSE UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE SHERIFF WANTED, I THINK 16 CARS GETTING, GETTING SIX. UM, SCHOOLS DEFINITELY WANTED MORE PERSONNEL, MORE, UM, MORE PROGRAMS. UM, UH, FIRE DEPARTMENT, UH, NEEDS A LOT MORE AS WELL. UM, ONLY GETTING 50,000 FOR CANCER PREVENTION IS, IS NOT ENOUGH. UM, SO WE'RE IN A, WE'RE IN A, A TOUGH SITUATION. UM, UH, BUT, UH, I DO WANT TO THANK THE COUNTY ADMINISTRATION AND PARTICULARLY MS. SCOTT FOR COMING UP WITH SOME CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO, TO MAKE THE BEST OUT OF A, A CHALLENGING SITUATION. UM, WE, WE DID CUT IN A LOT OF PLACES AND, AND FOUND SOME CREATIVE RESTRUCTURING TO MAKE THINGS HAPPEN MORE THAN WE THOUGHT WE COULD. UM, AND SO TO THAT EXTENT, IT'S A GOOD BUDGET. UM, YEAH, YEAH. UM, WHAT I'D ESSENTIALLY LIKE TO SAY IS THAT IT'S, IT'S WELL KNOWN AND EVERYBODY'S VERY TIRED OF IT, OF THIS AUSTERITY, UM, SYSTEM SITUATION THAT WE'VE BEEN IN. AND IT'S TIRESOME. I'LL SPEAK FOR MYSELF. IT'S TIRESOME FOR ME TOO. UM, ONE OF THE COMMENTS I MADE LAST YEAR WAS THAT I WAS IN A VERY UNEXPECTED SITUATION OF RAISING TAXES, WHICH WAS SOMETHING, YOU KNOW, AS, AS A PERSON RUNNING FOR OFFICE, YOU'RE NOT ACCUSTOMED TO PEOPLE SAYING, WHEN I GET IN OFFICE, I'M GONNA RAISE TAXES. UM, I DIDN'T SAY I WOULDN'T, BUT IT WASN'T SOMETHING I EXPECTED TO DO. I DID IT. UM, AND I THOUGHT IT WAS VERY, YOU KNOW, VERY COMPELLING. WE ENDED UP WITH THE NINE MORE FIREFIGHTERS. UM, THERE WAS A PUBLIC SAFETY, UH, KIND OF THEME TO THE BUDGET, UH, THIS TIME AROUND. YOU KNOW, WE HAVE E EVERYBODY IN THE COUNTY ESSENTIALLY UNDERSTANDS, I THINK, UH, IF YOU OWN PROPERTY, THAT THE ASSESSMENTS WERE WERE PAINFUL. AND NOT ONLY WERE THEY PAINFUL, BUT A TOPIC OF DISCUSSION. IF, IF YOU'VE, IF YOU'VE WATCHED THE, THE, THE MEETINGS REGARDING THE ASSESSMENTS IS THEY WERE HIGHLY VARIABLE. UM, SO THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO EXPERIENCED MAYBE, YOU KNOW, A 30, 40% INCREASE IN OTHER PEOPLE WHO MAYBE EXPERIENCED A 10% INCREASE. AND, YOU KNOW, THERE'S THAT GREAT DEAL OF UNEVENNESS THERE. SO, UM, UH, DR. DAILEY ACTUALLY SPOKE TO THAT POINT OF THE IDEA OF, OF ATTACKS I INCREASE IN A YEAR WHERE CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS HAD, WHAT, WHAT THEY CERTAINLY BELIEVE WOULD BE AN UNJUST, LIKE 40, 50% INCREASE IN THEIR APPRAISAL, UH, WAS ESSENTIALLY THE A, A A MULTIPLIER OF, UM, UM, PAIN ASSOCIATED WITH, WITH TAX INCREASES. SO THAT IS THE, YOU KNOW, A FROM, FROM OUR, FROM, I HEAR ALL, ALL PARTIES THAT COME AND, AND EXPRESS THE NEED, UM, FOR FUNDS. UM, I DON'T DISCOUNT IT OR DISBELIEVE IT. UM, I ALSO HEAR THAT, THAT, UM, YOU KNOW, CONSTITUENTS ARE, ARE ALSO STRUGGLING. SO THE TAXPAYER IS WHO PAYS THE MONEY, UH, LARGELY, UH, WE, YOU KNOW, WE'RE THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT. IT'S PUBLIC SERVICES THAT WE'RE FUNDING. SO, UM, IT'S PUBLIC SERVICES, UH, UH, EMPLOYEES AND, AND YOU KNOW, PEOPLE THAT WE ARE HEARING FROM. UM, SO, YOU KNOW, IN THE COUNTY AND THE, AND THE, AND THE SCHOOLS KIND OF END UP IN SEPARATE CATEGORIES. THEY EACH HAVE THEIR OWN MANAGEMENTS. UM, YOU KNOW, THE, THE COUNTY CONTRACTED ITS BUDGET BY 3%. UM, IF IT DIDN'T DO THAT, UM, THERE WOULD BE EVEN LIKE LESS MONEY AVAILABLE TO CONSIDER FOR THE, FOR THE PUBLIC EDUCATION. UM, WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THIS FROM A POINT OF VIEW OF, OF ALL OF THE REQUESTS THAT COME IN, WHAT WE'RE LOOKING AT IS IF IF EVERY LEGITIMATE SUPPLICANT WHO MADE AN ARGUMENT THAT THEY NEED A, A CERTAIN AMOUNT MORE MONEY, AND THAT'S THEIR BARE, BARE MINIMUM THAT THEY COULD GET BY WITH, UM, WE WOULD BE, WE WOULD BE INCREASING THE, THE TAXES BY 16% ABOUT, UM, AND I, I, I THINK THAT'S NOT, I I DO NOT THINK THAT OUR, OUR, OUR COUNTY, UH, TAX PAYING CITIZENS WOULD SUPPORT, SUPPORT THAT. SO, UM, WE ARE IN A SQUEEZE. UM, JOHN MENTIONED THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, IT REVENUE'S A PROBLEM IN THIS, IN THIS COUNTY AND, AND IT NEEDS TO BE ADDRESSED. IT'S BEEN NEEDED TO BE ADDRESSED FOR A LONG TIME THAT THAT'S NOT A NEW THING. UM, BUT THAT'S, I'M JUST EXPRESSING THERE'S ONE, ONE OTHER THING I THINK I DO WANNA [01:05:01] ADDRESS, IN PARTICULARLY THE FIRE AND RESCUE THING, IT'S ALSO IMPORTANT TO UNDERSTAND THAT THERE'S THE, THE HEART WRENCHING, UH, AND, AND VALID POINTS OF VIEW OF CHESTER GOV. THEY'RE NOT TO BE DISCOUNTED, BUT, BUT THE INFORMATION AND, UH, THE OTHER SORT OF THE OTHER, THE OTHER ASPECT, THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COIN OF THAT SITUATION HAS BEEN, UH, RELAYED, UH, BY CHIEF ANZANO TO US. SO IT, IT'S NOT A COMFORTABLE, UH, DECISION. IT'S, THERE'S NO COMFORTABLE DECISION OTHER THAN JUST CREATE THE MONEY AND GIVE EVERYBODY EVERYTHING THEY NEED. UM, I THINK THERE'S, UM, IN TERMS OF, OF THE, THE BOARD'S, UH, UH, BUDGETING PROCESS WITH THE SCHOOL SYSTEM, I THINK A, A GREAT DEAL OF, OF TIME OR, OR A GREAT DEAL OF, UH, UH, INSPECTION SHOULD BE MADE ABOUT THE TIMING OF THE TWO BOARDS, THE WAY THEY WORK TOGETHER. UH, I, I HEARD A DESCRIPTION WHICH IS ACCURATE THAT, UH, THAT THE, THE, UM, THE SCHOOL BOARD WAS HERE IN FRONT OF US ON THE SAME NIGHT THAT WE HAD TO MAKE A DECISION WAS TO RAISE TAXES OR NOT. UH, THAT'S PROBLEMATIC IN TERMS OF PROCESS, THAT THAT'S A FAILED PROCESS BECAUSE, UH, WE HAD TO MAKE THAT DECISION THAT EVENING. AND, UH, YOU KNOW, MS. KOHLER, I THINK MENTIONED THAT, YOU KNOW, WOULD'VE BEEN, IT WOULD'VE BEEN IDEAL, UH, APPROPRIATE TO HAVE MORE TIME TO HAVE A CONVERSATION ABOUT THAT, UM, THAT THAT WAS, YOU KNOW, PROBLEMATIC. AND SO I, I THINK WHEN THE, UH, THERE'S ALWAYS THE FUTURE WHEN, WHEN THE NEXT TIME, NEXT BUDGET CYCLE, UH, IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT FOR THE SCHOOL BOARD TO UNDERSTAND THE COUNTY'S CALENDAR IN TERMS OF HOW BUDGETING HAPPENS. AND, UM, IT'S VITAL THAT THEY GET ALL, EVERYTHING PREPARED AND, AND, UM, UNDERSTAND THAT BEFORE. SO WE'RE NOT SITTING IN THE SAME SITUATION WHERE WE'RE MAKING A CRUCIAL DECISION ON THE VERY SAME NIGHT THAT WE'RE, WE'RE SITTING ACROSS FROM THE, UM, THE SCORE. UM, SO THAT, THAT'S REALLY ALL I'VE GOT. IF, IF YOU DON'T MIND, UM, JUST A COUPLE OF THINGS. UM, I DO, UM, CHIEF ANZANO AND I DO HAVE CONVERSATIONS, AND I DO RESPECT HIS POINT OF VIEW ON THIS. WE AGREE TO DISAGREE ON THE CHESTER GAP, AND I THINK WE, WE ARE HANDLING THAT WELL WITH EACH OTHER. UM, I UNDERSTAND THAT THIS IS A DATA-DRIVEN WORLD ANYMORE. I GUESS I AM JUST HAVING DIFFICULTY TAKING OUT THE HUMAN ASPECT OF IT, UM, BECAUSE TO ME THAT'S MORE IMPORTANT THAN NUMBERS ON A SHEET OF PAPER. UM, AND I DO UNDERSTAND, I DON'T WANNA RAISE TAXES ANYMORE THAN ANYBODY ELSE. I'M, I MEAN, I'M RETIRED, MY HUSBAND'S RETIRED. WE'RE LIVING ON A FIXED INCOME, ALTHOUGH I THINK EVERYBODY'S ON A FIXED INCOME BECAUSE THAT CHECK IS WHAT IT IS. AND YOU NEVER, YOU NEVER KNOW, UM, IF YOU'RE GONNA GET AN INCREASE AT 30 OR 65 ANYMORE. UM, BUT YOU KNOW, I, I LOOK AT THAT A LITTLE BIT DIFFERENTLY AS FAR AS, UM, REVENUE SOURCES. I WILL, I'VE JUST GOTTA SAY THIS, THE DATA CENTERS, THERE'S ONLY A FEW PEOPLE TALKING ABOUT THAT AND NOT WANTING, YOU KNOW, WE ARE NOT TALKING, WE ARE NOT HAVING PEOPLE COME IN FOR DATA CENTERS AND NEITHER IS THE TOWN. SO I WANNA PUT THAT OUT THERE. NO DATA CENTERS ARE COMING. THAT'S A CHICKEN LITTLE THING, BUT WE DO NEED TO LOOK AT BRINGING IN, UM, MORE ECONOMICALLY, I MEAN, UH, ECO-FRIENDLY BUSINESSES, UM, THAT WON'T DRAIN OUR RIVER AND WON'T, UM, DAMAGE OUR COMMUNITY OR CAUSE HAVOC AND, AND BOOST OUR REVENUE AND TOURISM. YEAH, TOURISM IS SOMETHING THAT WE DEFINITELY LOOK AT AND THERE'S MY FRUSTRATION WITH STALLING OUT THIS, UM, TOURISM DIRECTOR BECAUSE THERE'S OPPORTUNITIES WE'RE MISSING OUT HERE AND NOT HAVING THAT TOURISM DIRECTOR, UM, TO MOVE ON THAT. AND SOME OF THE IDEAS THAT THE TOURISM COMMITTEE HAS, YOU KNOW, BEEN BUILDING UP TOWARDS HAVING THAT. SO WE'RE, WE'RE CREATING OUR, WE'RE SHOOTING OURSELF IN THE FOOT AT EVERY TIME WE DO THESE THINGS AND RAISING TAXES. NO, LIKE I SAID, I DON'T WANNA DO THAT, BUT WE COULD HAVE SAID WE WANTED TO ADD TWO OR 3 CENTS. YOU CAN COME DOWN, YOU CAN'T [01:10:01] GO BACK UP. SO WE COULD HAVE HAD A PUBLIC HEARING WHERE WE SAID, THIS IS OUR PROPOSED TAX RATE. WHAT DO YOU THINK? AND IF THEY, ALL THE ROOM'S FULL. 'CAUSE I SAT HERE IN A ROOM FULL BEFORE, UM, AND LISTENED TO 'EM. AND IF THEY SAY, NOPE, THEN YOU LOWER IT DOWN. BUT WHEN YOU LOWER IT LIKE WE DID, AND THE UNFORESEEN THINGS COME UP AND, AND I HAVE TO DISAGREE THAT THE SCHOOL BOARD BLINDSIDED US BECAUSE I SAT IN THE MEETING ON MARCH 5TH AND I SAW THE PRESENTATION, THEN DR. BALLINGER INVITED ME TO SIT DOWN AND WENT OVER IT INDIVIDUALLY. AND I THINK HE OFFERED THAT TO EVERYONE TO DO THAT. UM, SO I DON'T SEE, AND YOU WERE ON THE, THE BUDGET, THE JOINT BUDGET, UH, COMMITTEE. SO I DON'T KNOW HOW ANY OF US COULD SIT HERE AND SAY, WE GOT IT THAT NIGHT AND WE HAD TO MAKE A DECISION BECAUSE WE WEREN'T, I THINK I SAW THAT BUDGET LIKE THREE OR FOUR TIMES PRESENTED. UM, AND EACH TIME I LEARNED A LITTLE BIT MORE THAT I HAD MISSED, YOU KNOW, FROM THE TIME BEFORE. BUT I THOUGHT IT WAS THE BEST BUDGET THAT HAS BEEN PRESENTED SINCE I'VE BEEN ON THIS BOARD. IT WAS, UM, YOU KNOW, DATA DRIVEN FOR SURE. UM, THE NEEDS WERE ADDRESSED AND SPECIFICALLY TOLD WHY THEY NEEDED WHAT THEY WERE REQUESTING. AND FOR THE FIRST TIME, THE ONLY THING I TOLD THEM THAT I WOULD PULL OUT OF THAT BUDGET TO BRING IT DOWN A LITTLE BIT WAS THE PR PERSON. THE REST OF IT, I COULD A HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE WITH THAT. THEY JUSTIFIED THE NEEDS OF ME. AND, UM, SO I, I DON'T THINK WE CAN SIT HERE AND SAY WE HAD TO MAKE A DECISION, UM, WITHOUT PROPER NOTIFICATION AND UNDERSTANDING OF THAT BUDGET. WELL, I DID NOT SAY THAT THEY BLINDSIDED US, AND I DID NOT MEAN TO IMPLY. SO, UH, THE, THE, WHAT HAPPENED WAS THAT I WAS ON THE BUDGET, UH, COMMITTEE FOR THE SCHOOLS AND, AND THE 4.2 MILLION WAS THE NUMBER, AND THAT WAS THAT THEY CAME INTO THAT WITH THAT NUMBER WITHOUT, UH, UM, WHAT, WHAT I'M, WHAT I'M ACTUALLY SAYING IS THAT I THINK THERE'S MORE TIME WOULD BE BENEFICIAL TO WORK ON THAT NUMBER BEFORE THE BOARD SUPERVISOR GETS INTO A DECISION POINT OF WHETHER THEY HAVE TO, TO INCREASE OR NON INCREASE TAXES. SO IT, IT WASN'T BY DESIGN AND IT CERTAINLY WASN'T A BLINDSIDE, IT WAS JUST A, A MATTER OF HOW MUCH TIME WAS THERE FOR WORKING THROUGH WHAT THAT NUMBER SHOULD BE BY THE TIME WE GOT TO THAT NIGHT. THAT, THAT'S ALL I'M IMPLYING. I RIGHT. SO THE, UH, SO I JUST WANTED TO, TO, TO SAY THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, I, I WISH WE COULD BE LIKE THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AND JUST CREATE MONEY OUT OF THIN AIR, BUT WE CAN'T. AND, UH, AND, UH, I, I, FIRST OF ALL, I WANT TO PUT A PLUG IN FOR SHERIFF KLEIN AND CHIEF PANZANO. I THINK THAT BOTH OF 'EM ARE DOING GREAT JOBS AND, UH, SHERIFF KLE, I TOLD SHERIFF KLEIN IN THE OTHER ROOM, THE, THE OTHER NIGHT THAT, UH, UH, I THINK THAT SHE'S, SHE IS REALLY COME INTO HER OWN AND, AND SHE'S MAKING THINGS HAPPEN. AND I TRULY APPRECIATE THAT. AND I, I WISH THAT I COULD, UH, I COULD COME UP WITH THE MONEY TO GIVE HER THOSE VEHICLES AND THAT, UH, THAT SYSTEM THAT SHE NEEDS. BUT, UH, I, I TRUST AND I KNOW THAT, UH, YOU KNOW, SHE, SHE'LL, UM, AND I, I'M NOT ADVOCATING THIS, BUT I KNOW THAT SHE'LL, SHE'LL MAKE IT HAPPEN WITH WHAT SHE'S GOT. UH, I DON'T WANT HER TO DO THAT. I WANT TO BE ABLE TO GIVE HER WHAT SHE NEEDS, BUT I, I TRUST THAT SHE'LL DO THAT. AND SAME THING FOR CHIEF MANZANO. SO THE, UM, UH, I'VE HEARD, UH, DATA CENTERS, UH, MENTIONED, UM, YOU KNOW, TO ME, DATA CENTERS ARE, IT'S, IT'S A VERY LITTLE SHORT-TERM GAIN IN TAXES, UH, FOR A, UH, FOR A VERY LONG-TERM BURDEN IN ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND DRAINING RESOURCES OF WATER AND POWER AND, UH, EYESORE AND BUILDINGS THAT IN 20 YEARS WILL BE BIG WHITE ELEPHANTS. SO I AM DEFINITELY AGAINST DATA CENTERS COMING ANYWHERE INTO THIS COUNTY. I DON'T CARE WHERE IT'S AT. AND I KNOW THAT THERE'S A COUPLE OF, UH, OF, OF PLACES THAT FOLKS WOULD LOVE TO PUT DATA CENTERS BECAUSE IT'S CLOSE TO WATER, IT'S CLOSE TO, UH, YOU KNOW, POWER. BUT, UH, WE, WE, AND, AND, AND THIS IS SOMETHING I WAS THINKING OF. UM, I KNOW THAT THERE'S A COUPLE OF FOLKS IN THE ROOM THAT ARE, THAT ARE AS OLD AS I AM, OR MAYBE A A LITTLE BIT OLDER. UH, I WAS IN SECOND GRADE WHEN THE, UM, UH, WHEN THE CUBAN MISSILE CRISIS HAPPENED. AND, AND I JUST REMEMBER, AND I GREW UP, I WAS BORN AND RAISED IN OKLAHOMA CITY IN THE, UH, UH, AIR FORCE [01:15:01] HAS A BIG, UH, UM, MAINTENANCE CENTER THERE. AND WE WERE TOLD THAT, UH, THE, UH, THAT OKLAHOMA CITY WAS ON THE TARGET LIST FOR THE, UH, FOR THE SOVIETS, FOR THE MISSILES THAT WERE OVER IN, IN CUBA. AND, AND I'LL TELL YOU, YOU KNOW, THE, I UNDERSTAND THAT, UH, ABOUT 75% OF THE, OF THE WORLD'S DATA COMES THROUGH NORTHERN VIRGINIA BECAUSE OF ALL THE DATA CENTERS THAT ARE OVER IN, IN THE, THOSE AREAS. I DON'T WANT TO BE ON THE TARGET LIST. AND, AND I JUST TAKE A LOOK AT IT AS WELL, WE START PUTTING DATA CENTERS HERE. THAT'S COULD, THAT COULD BE SOMETHING THAT COULD, THAT COULD BE, YOU KNOW, PUT US ON THE TARGET LIST. I DON'T WANT THAT. AND I KNOW THAT Y'ALL PROBABLY THINK THAT I'M A LITTLE BIT KOOKY FOR SAYING THAT, BUT I'LL TELL YOU WHAT, GROWING UP AND FINDING OUT THAT, UH, THAT I WAS ON THE TARGET LIST, YOU KNOW, FOR THE, UH, FOR THE SOVIETS. YEAH. SO ANYWAY, THAT'S WHERE I STAND AS FAR AS THE, UH, THE, THE DATA CENTERS GO. AND, UH, AND I JUST THINK THAT IT'S, UH, IT'S VERY LITTLE SHORT-TERM GAIN FOR A LONG-TERM BURDEN. AND, UH, I, I WISH THAT WE COULD COME UP WITH MORE, MORE MONEY, BUT, UH, WE, WE CAN'T. SO, DR. DALEY? YES, SIR. SO THE, AT, AT THIS POINT, WE ARE NOT VOTING TONIGHT. NO, SIR. NO, WE'RE JUST MAKING THE, THE PRESENTATION ONLY ITEM ON THIS IS A SPECIAL MEETING. THERE ARE ONLY FOUR OF YOU HERE. SO THE ONLY ITEM ON THIS AGENDA IS THE BUDGET HEARING ITSELF. ALL RIGHT. SO AT THE, AT THIS POINT, DO I HAVE ANY OTHER, YOU CAN'T, ANYTHING ELSE FROM THE BOARD? I'M NOT ALLOWED TO . IF NOT, DO I HAVE A, UH, DO I HAVE A MOTION? DO ADJOURN? SO MOVED. SECOND. SECOND. ALL IN FAVOR? AYE. AYE. AYE. THANK YOU VERY MUCH. * This transcript was created by voice-to-text technology. The transcript has not been edited for errors or omissions, it is for reference only and is not the official minutes of the meeting.